Example of a mid-sized mountain style open concept dark wood floor home theater design in Orlando with beige walls and a media wall

Inspiration for a large timeless home design remodel in Other

Ammar Selo
Enclosed kitchen - small transitional galley vinyl floor enclosed kitchen idea in Houston with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, granite countertops, metallic backsplash, metal backsplash, stainless steel appliances and no island

Home theater - large traditional enclosed home theater idea in Other with red walls and a projector screen

The lovely family of four had a small bathroom to share. Their shower was inadequate for the 6'4" homeowner. In order to provide them a more functional bathroom for them all, space was taken from one of the large bathrooms. We bumped the wall out a couple feet to provide these homeowner's with a large shower and linen cabinet storage space. They now have a beautiful transitional space that fits their needs. Initially the homeowner's were looking at a neutral beige palatte but fell in love with this grey color scheme. The grey, blue, and brown border tile helps pull all the colors together. The gorgeous Blue Pearl countertop provides a new element of color and complements the grey bathroom Mike Kaskel

Built in 1969 with only one previous owner, this quaint Cape house needed a full renovation. We took the opportunity to wire for both the client’s current and future needs. Ultra-high bandwidth cabling throughout the house allows for the next internet speed bump over 1 gigabit. The owners are self-described “recovering audiophiles,” so the speaker and equipment selection required a high-end solution to achieve this sound quality throughout 18 zones of indoor and outdoor audio. In addition, a lighting control system with close to 40 keypad locations strategically placed throughout the house was designed to let them control multiple lights from anywhere in the house, as well as to automate routine lighting scenes. In the family room, a surround sound setup complemented a 77-inch OLED TV wrapped in a custom black walnut frame to conceal the TV. Several custom programmed iPads are located in rooms with TVs, as well as a master control in the kitchen. Lastly, smart thermostats, video doorbells, smart door locks, 11 high-resolution cameras, and a smart water leak protection system allow the owners to monitor the house whether they are home or away. Audiophile whole house audio Audiophile outdoor audio Motorized TV mounts Surround Sound TV systems Surveillance and Access Control system Smart thermostats, sprinkler control, pool control, as well as leak protection.

This article is posted here with the consent of the author. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, view, or opinion of Crestron Electronics, Inc., or of any of its employees. Crestron Electronics is not responsible for, and does not verify the accuracy of, any of the information contained in this article. By Jeff Singer The “smart” revolution began several years ago with smartphones (a.k.a phones) and has extended in recent years to thermostats, doorbells, alarm systems, and kitchen appliances. Smart devices are so ubiquitous that the term “smart” is overused to the point that it is almost meaningless. Companies are eager to jump on the bandwagon and claim their products are “smart,” and consumers proudly claim they have a smart home because they have lighting control. Misconceptions about smart homes are prevalent and create confusion in the marketplace. This can have deleterious effects on businesses and underserve consumers. Here are seven of the most popular misconceptions about smart homes: 1. Apps are smart Apps are convenient and easy to use. Yes, it seems there’s an app for everything. People expect to be able to download an app and do just about anything. App developers and many companies do not disavow consumers of this myth. On the contrary, they promote this idea with carefully worded descriptions. The promise of having the world at your fingertips for $1.99 is very enticing. Although it sounds too good to be true, it is also too good to pass up for many people. This leads to undervaluing home control and disappointment when the apps don’t work, which undermines confidence in our industry. The fact is that apps are not smart. They do not control anything. They must connect to and communicate with a control system or cloud service that processes, prioritizes, and executes commands. That’s the real magic and what most people do not understand. 2. Smart devices work together With so many smart appliances and devices on the market today, it’s understandable that the average consumer might think that they actually communicate and work together. This is simply not the case. Smart devices are not that smart. They are designed and manufactured by different, often competing, companies. There are no national or industry standards governing these products. Even if they all operate using Wi-Fi® communications, that doesn’t mean they work together. Some companies promote a home control platform, which unites different devices from different companies – in theory. The platform is yet another third-party software totally dependent on other companies developing APIs and writing control modules for their hardware to run on that piece of software. The devices are not independently compatible. Also, when updates are made to either the hardware or the software, functionality may be affected for some period. That’s a nice way of saying the device or system won’t work and there’s no way of knowing for how long. 3. It’s a DIY project Which brings us to the next myth, which is that the average person can do it themselves. Unless you are a skilled professional, I would not advise taking on a smart home project. You want to make a light turn on and off with your Alexa® or Google Assistant™ virtual assistant software, go for it. A smart home takes much more planning and expertise. I have no problem changing a light bulb or hanging a light fixture in my dining room; however, I am not going to rewire my house. I may change the flush valve in my toilet, but I’m not going to replace the pipes in my house. You get it. Integrating devices and systems, establishing different zones, creating scenes, designing the UI with a balance between control, feedback, and simplicity – all takes experience and skill. 4. Need a programmer to make changes Early adopters may have experienced the pain of trying to make a simple change or update to their home control system. Years ago, if the cable provider changed the channel line-up, the homeowner would have to call the dealer or programmer to make an appointment for them to come out to the house to reprogram the system. The system wouldn’t work as expected until it was updated, which often took several days and beaucoup bucks. Not anymore. Technology has evolved so now it’s easy for system owners to change favorite channels, create scenes, rename buttons, update images, and more. While a professional is needed for the initial installation and setup, the system is easy to manage once it’s up and running. This makes life so much easier for both dealer and customer. 5. Tech becomes obsolete quickly Similar to updating the UI, updating firmware or hardware used to be a stressful process. A smart home should be intelligent enough to update itself. Apps don’t become obsolete. Updates are constantly pushed out from the cloud, making them better all the time. The same is true for a good smart home system. New features, functions, and device support gets added in the background consistently, so the system you installed (or purchased) yesterday gets better over time. Swapping out decorative elements, such as keypads, dimmers, and touch screens is also seamless. When a new device is added, all the settings are pulled down from the cloud and it just works. No system interruptions. No sunk costs. No imposing house calls. No surprise bills. 6. Lighting control saves energy and money Lighting control is one of the most popular smart systems, but it takes more than just one system to make a home smart. On the surface, it makes sense that if you dim the lights ten percent, then you save ten percent of energy costs. If the shades are raised during the day to take advantage of sunlight so the lights don’t need to be on (or at least not 100%), but that causes the room temperature to rise a few degrees, which triggers the air conditioner to run longer and more often, was energy usage (or cost) reduced? A smart home integrates all the various systems and technology to optimize comfort, convenience, safety, and sometimes energy. 7. Home technology is easy to hack Security is at the forefront of people’s minds these days. Personal identities are stolen; email accounts hacked; private photos publicized; and more. A smart home must outsmart those who don’t respect privacy. Crestron control systems adhere to the strictest security standards. The same Crestron control system that goes into a home is also installed in secure government and military facilities, global banking institutions, hospitals, and other mission critical applications. When installed correctly by a trained professional, a Crestron smart home is the gold standard for security, comfort, and convenience.

Inspiration for a contemporary bathroom remodel in San Francisco

A run down traditional 1960's home in the heart of the san Fernando valley area is a common site for home buyers in the area. so, what can you do with it you ask? A LOT! is our answer. Most first-time home buyers are on a budget when they need to remodel and we know how to maximize it. The entire exterior of the house was redone with #stucco over layer, some nice bright color for the front door to pop out and a modern garage door is a good add. the back yard gained a huge 400sq. outdoor living space with Composite Decking from Cali Bamboo and a fantastic insulated patio made from aluminum. The pool was redone with dark color pebble-tech for better temperature capture and the 0 maintenance of the material. Inside we used water resistance wide planks European oak look-a-like laminated flooring. the floor is continues throughout the entire home (except the bathrooms of course ? ). A gray/white and a touch of earth tones for the wall colors to bring some brightness to the house. The center focal point of the house is the transitional farmhouse kitchen with real reclaimed wood floating shelves and custom-made island vegetables/fruits baskets on a full extension hardware. take a look at the clean and unique countertop cloudburst-concrete by caesarstone it has a "raw" finish texture. The master bathroom is made entirely from natural slate stone in different sizes, wall mounted modern vanity and a fantastic shower system by Signature Hardware. Guest bathroom was lightly remodeled as well with a new 66"x36" Mariposa tub by Kohler with a single piece quartz slab installed above it.

Pool fountain - mid-sized traditional backyard concrete and custom-shaped pool fountain idea in Austin

A luxurious kitchen setup featuring Taj Mahal Quartzite, adding elegance and sophistication.
Kitchen - kitchen idea in Chicago

Natural Flagstone place over concrete. The goal was not to keep the natural shape of the flagstone and minimize any cuts. Project also included stained concrete and reconstructing an outdoor grill/bbq, new plants and irrigation setup.

Photo: Sean Litchfield
Eat-in kitchen - large contemporary l-shaped dark wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in New York with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, blue backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and solid surface countertops

This custom designed and built makeup station includes a pull-out magnifying mirror and custom storage on top. The lower cabinets are Brighton Hickory Silhouette and the upper portion was hand-crafted by MARK IV Builders. The White Macaubas Quartzite counter tops are natural stone, look similar to marble, but are more durable. Fortis faucets are finished in brushed nickel.

Jane Beiles
Inspiration for a transitional family room remodel in New York

Inspiration for a mid-sized modern backyard tile and custom-shaped hot tub remodel in Houston

Natural Flagstone place over concrete. The goal was not to keep the natural shape of the flagstone and minimize any cuts. Project also included stained concrete and reconstructing an outdoor grill/bbq, new plants and irrigation setup.

Bathroom counters MSI Quartz Carrara Marmi, Custom Cupboards paint SW7015 Repose Gray. Tile Floors - 12x24 Apollo White. Tile backsplash 3x6 Rittenhouse Matte Beveled. Master bath Sinks Am. Std #0476.028 Oval. Sink faucets Moen #6410-BN Bathroom hardware from Faucets Direct, Lights by Builders Lighting. Photos by Sandy Creek Photography and Interior designer is Inspiring Homes Design.

This beautiful 10x44 foot deck was built in New Richmond, OH. w/ grey tone composite decking boards and a modern, but rigid cable rail setup that allowed for a more unobstructed view of the backyard.